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Posts Tagged ‘Boot Camp’

Remember when you attend a class (Nia, yoga, Zumba, Spin, Boot Camp, whatever), it is for you. Remember that it is important to do what you need at the time you are in class. So you don’t have to do the pose, say you are in a yoga class, to your fullest if you need to save your energy for other things you have to do in the day or the rest of your week. You don’t have to prove to your instructor or other classmates that you can do it. It is more important to do what your body needs. Don’t be afraid to listen to your body intelligence.

I might have posted about this before. If not an entire post, I know I have mentioned it, but sometimes we need reminding. I recently took a class in which I was doing more than I should have. It was what I was capable of doing, so I was doing it. I had told myself before the class that I needed to hold back a little because I was feeling a bit fatigued and I had three more classes left to teach in the week, and I had a long weekend ahead. My allergies had been bothering me, and if you have allergies (hay fever) then you know how exhausting they are. I was tired. My plan had been to do modified poses, but then I got caught up in just DOING the poses and not in doing what I needed.

I found myself thinking to myself, “Listen to what you always tell your students. Do what you need to do at the time. You know you need to conserve a bit of energy for the rest of the week.” So I backed off. I was actually more proud of myself for doing less because I needed to, than if I would have done more just to prove that I could.

In saving a bit of my energy I was able to teach my Nia class the next morning with renewed and full energy. It was a great class. So again, I was so glad I listened to what I always encourage my Nia and yoga students to do.

Now, I am not saying not to push yourself, I am just saying that there might be times when it is necessary to do less than you are capable of and that is ok. I think you do more for your body, mind, emotions, and spirit if you respect your needs. I have a feeling this is not new information to you, that is why I started out this post with “remember”. However, it is one thing to know something and to actually do it. As I said, before class I told myself to be mellow and then once in class I didn’t listen to myself at first. I understand how easy it is to get caught up in the moment of doing, but with some modalities, like Nia and yoga, they are mindful practices. A great exercise in a mindful practice is to do it mindfully, which could mean doing less. Don’t be afraid to listen to your body intelligence.

Have you ever needed to do less in an exercise class? Did you? Did you have to keep reminding yourself?

When a body moves it expends energy. The bigger the movements the more energy expended. The faster the movements the more energy expended. The longer the body is in motion the more energy it expends. I teach Nia. It is not a boot camp where the higher ranked officer is yelling at you to move more, to more bigger to move longer. It is a cardio dance workout where you get to move your body in your own body’s way. You move to your level of movement. You move to the level you want to move at the time you are in the class. The more you move, the more energy you will use up. For some of us, the more we move the more we sweat. Honestly, if you don’t move you will not sweat. A lot of people equate a “good workout” with sweat. Not everyone sweats, but most people do sweat when they move. In Nia we don’t yell at participants to run faster, to reach higher, to go lower, to do more. We use words to help you move in a way that you want to move. Some people cannot move their bodies without being told exactly how to move. Some people just need the time and space and they either know exactly what to do OR they are able to just let go and let their bodies move. I have experienced the type of person that tells me they don’t sweat in Nia and the type that does.

One time, after teaching a class, I was walking out and mopping my face and neck with a towel. I was dripping wet. And a woman approached me and said, “You don’t sweat in Nia, do you?” I just looked at her and said, “No, YOU don’t.” She was the one that stood behind me the entire class and I never saw her body. I never saw her limbs and I never saw her. Now, I am not the smallest of people so it is perfectly feasible that she could hide behind me and me not see her. But it is NOT feasible to MOVE and not be seen standing behind me. If she would have lifted her arm once, I would have seen it. If she would have lifted her leg once, I would have seen it. If she would have MOVED, her body MIGHT have produced some sweat. I cannot tell you why she didn’t move her body except to stand behind me, but I can tell you since she did not she did not get a “good workout.”

Once a woman walked by me and a student talking after Nia class and she asked where the pool was. We were confused. Then we realized we were so wet with sweat we looked as if we had been swimming.

Then more recently, I experienced at participant in a class who, when we were done said, “Wow! I got sweaty.” And I said, “Yes, yes you did.” And that was because she moved. She participated. While she was not standing behind me, I did see her move in her own body’s way to the suggestions such as “dancing big”, “drumming the sky”, “body drum”. She moved in her own way to all of the suggestions even though she had no idea what Nia was when she entered the dance studio. But it was obvious she was there to get a “good workout” so she participated. She moved. She expended energy. She got sweaty.

In Nia, as with ALL workouts, you get out of it what you put in. If you don’t move, you are not going to expend energy. If you don’t expend energy, you probably are not going to sweat. You need to MOVE to get a workout. It is not accurate to say that Nia is not a “good workout” when you do move. If you don’t actually try it you can’t actually say whether it is good or not.

This is what I experience a lot. Remember I am a substitute for other classes besides Nia. So they are not always looking for something new and different. Some are excellent sports and try it. Some are not and so they don’t participate. Again . . . . they get out of of it what they put in.

Have you noticed that you get less of a workout when you move less? Do you agree that you get out of it what you put into it?

I know I have mentioned before that I teach Nia as a substitute Group Exercise teacher for the City of San Jose. What that means is when a teacher can’t teach a class s/he will send out a message saying that a substitute is needed. In order to give our clients/students what they want we work to keep the substituted class close to what the original class is. If a Boot Camp teacher needs a substitute the first choice to have instead would not be yoga. Or vice versa. As you can imagine, when someone plans on going to a class and shows up and it is not what was expected it can take a little wind out of someones sails. Sometimes in order to keep the class from being cancelled a different format will be allowed, but that is rare. Usually someone is able to step in with a similar format. It is a real challenge when people have not even heard of the type of dance exercise that you are going to do in substitution for their normal class.

It seems like with many people the first time they hear of something they are a little resistant. To me this is understandable. It seems like a natural thing to shy away from something that is unfamiliar. And as I said, it really can be disheartening when you are looking forward to a specific thing/type of workout and you walk in and find it to be a class of something you have never heard of. I don’t take it personal when people decide not to stay or leave in the middle of class. I’ve learned a long time ago that Nia is for everyBODY it is just not for everyone. It can be a HUGE step for some people. It can be a huge switch in thinking and moving and a lot of things, I understand. So when someone comes in not knowing what they are in for and completely embraces it — I love it. I find myself thinking, “YES!” I admire the person and their openness.

I have been teaching a class where I am listening to the music, dancing, cueing, sensing, and looking out into the room and as my eyes survey the students I will see someone who is completely new to Nia and utterly unfamiliar with it, dancing with all of their body, mind, and spirit. It is so amazing. For someone to come in and not having even heard of Nia before the class to just embrace something so fully–it is so wonderful. That is one of the best moments ever. The challenge for me is to keep going myself. There are times when I just want to stop and watch because it is such a beautiful thing to see someone dance with all of their heart. It is as if they are glowing and all of a sudden they are all I can see. It is so incredible.

I appreciate the people who say, “I’m open to anything.” Or even, “What the heck? I am here. I might as well try it.” But it is really amazing to look out and see the ones that are just INTO it. In a Nia class where people come to DO Nia, it is typical to see people dancing with everything they have, but to see it in a class that is usually not Nia . . . . ahhhhhhh!

I felt like sharing this today. Thank you for letting me share a bit of joy with you. Today has been a GREAT day. Nothing spectacular or even note worthy has happen but there has been a lot of laughing and any day with a lot of laughing is a great day. Don’t you think?